Just looking strictly at OTC available ammo, strictly in Nosler Accubond (one because I like them, two because you gotta narrow the field somehow), comparing the 150gr LR Accubond in .280AI, vs 7mm mag 160gr Accubond......according to my Ballistics App, the two are pretty dang close. Out to 400yrds, the 7MM has a touch more energy, at 400yrds they cross, and out to 1000yrds the 280AI has a slight edge. The 280AI has a very slight edge on bullet drop from zero to 1000yrds.

Now, granted your comparing a 150gr vs 160gr bullet, and there are up to about 180gr in 7MM, and up to about 160gr if you switch to partitions in 280AI, and of course if you reload you can get up a touch larger with the 280AI.

Bottom line, what advantage does a 7MM have over the 280AI for larger game, Elk, bear (no plans of shooting currently!), Aoudad, etc? consider shots out to say 600yrds for conversation sake, and interested in knockdown power comparison.

Mine is a hand load. 180 gr leaving at 3000 fps out of a 7 Rem Mag, hits like a freight train. While a 280 is an awesome cartridge it's not on the same level as a heavy bullet out of the Rem Mag. 8 pound sledge versus a 6 pound sledge. Both will dang sure put the whoopin on something.

So if the 280AI is only about 100 fps behind the 7 mag then I can expect to get 2900 fps out of a 280 AI throwing a 180 grain?

Don't think so. When my 7 Rem Mag barrel was brand new, with virgin brass it was making 2935 fps MV on a compressed load of Retumbo. Barrel got seasoned up and now have a .003" bump on the shoulder, I get 3000 out of it. I'm on the razors edge of too hot, seeing an extractor mark occasionally. I don't see how its physically possible for a 280 A.I. to make the same velocity. There's not enough room in the case to put 71.2 gr of powder.

If the bullet you killed with - no matter the weight - went in one side & out the other.....what difference does it make what weight it was?

Heavier bullet traveling same/faster velocity will carry more kinetic energy thus has more hydro-static shock. So, even if there is an entrance and exit wound the harder hitting heavier bullet would be preferred. It simply gives a larger margin of error for an imperfect shot.

There are those, of course, that totally discount the idea of hydro-static shock and it's effectiveness of causing a higher probability of killing animals.

Using today's advanced bullet designs I'd guess that bullet construction plays a bigger role than weight when shooting animals with bullets from magnum calibers.